Forms Chapter 3

Click on any image to see a larger version.

We now have a very basic HTML Form, let's get it finished.

Name:

Email:

What is Your Age Group? (Yes, I shortened it.)
I'm Young
I'm Old

How did You Find Our Site?

Comments:

Right Click on the One Line Text Box titled Name:

(I have altered this screen shot, it is very close to what you will see, but there are some minor differences.)

And Choose Form Field Properties.

(Again, this screen shot of the dialog box has been slightly modified to aid quicker loading.)

This is the Dialog Box you will get when you click on Form Field Properties after right clicking the One Line Text Box. By completing the Properties box for each of the components of our form, we are telling the Form Handler what information you want passes on to you.

The Name box is what you want to call the single line text box on the form. It is generally easiest to put something short and descriptive in here, Since we have two (2) single line text boxes, (and we must right click on each) we will name them, NAME and EMAIL.

The Initial Value box is used to set an example of what goes into the box. In the Email Single Line Text Box, you might put someone@email.com. This helps visitors to remember to put their complete email address in.

Width in Characters sets the length of the single line of text. I usually set Name and Email between 25 and 50. Few people are likely to have a name or email address that long, but it does add a little something in the white space across the page.

Tab Order specifies in what order the form will be filled out when your visitor uses the tab key to move from one field to the next. Name: is Tab Order 1, Email: is Tab Order 2. 

Password Field is used when you are creating a password form. That is a form which will permit access after filling in a password. Choosing the yes radio button, causes the information the visitor is typing to view as asterisks. 

The Style Button, at the bottom, is the same as the style button anyplace in FP. Click it and you can change style, the font, etc.

The Validate Button will present us with another dialog box:

(This screen shot has been modified slightly to enhance viewing at a reduced size.)

Text Box Validation is used to define what must be filled out, and how completely it must be filled out. When the dialog box presents itself you will see only a few choices. When you click on any one of the them, the rest of the options that are pertinent to the parameters you want to set will become available. 

Click on Data Type,  it is a drop down box, this allows you to choose between text, integer, and number. When you have made your choice, the radio buttons, as appropriate become available, make your choices. For our Comments Form, we are going to choose, text. We are going to allow all of the choices, letters, white space (spaces), digits, and other. In the text box next to other, we are going to put comma. In other words, we are going to allow our visitors to put just about anything they want the Name Box. 

Click on the "Required" Check Box under Data Length. Set the length variables for their name. Let's choose 5 for minimum length, and 50 for maximum length. 

You will have noticed that the Display Name  text box is now active. This is where you will put what you want your visitor to see in the message if they fail to fill the single line text box out. For our Name Field, we can use NAME or Name, and for the Email Field, we can use EMAIL or Email.

Press OK on both dialog boxes open.

Chapter 3 Continued